Kings regroup for crucial tiff versus Bolts

Games today (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 3 p.m. – Rain or Shine vs Phoenix 5:45 p.m. – Meralco vs Ginebra

Gilas Pilipinas aces Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson and Jamie Malonzo, with coach Tim Cone, return to old ground as reigning champion Barangay Ginebra resumes its playoff drive against rival Meralco in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today.

The Gin Kings (4-2) dive back into action versus the Bolts (5-3) at 5:45 p.m., two nights after the Nationals’ last outing in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

Phoenix Super LPG (3-5) and Rain or Shine (2-6) clash in the other game at 3 p.m.

But spotlight is on the fifth-running Ginebra that is out to shore up its bid for the quarterfinals and a playoff bonus versus a Meralco side chasing the same aspiration.

The two teams are right behind the leaders and playoff-bound TNT Tropang Giga (8-1), San Miguel Beer (7-2), NLEX (6-3) and Converge (6-3) with only the top four squads booking a twice-to-beat incentives in the next round.

But is Ginebra ready for a battle, with most of its personnel coming from a nineday breather while Brownlee, Thompson and Malonzo hardly had a rest?

Then there are also the team’s health concerns. Japeth Aguilar is nursing a knee sprain while Stanley Pringle and LA Tenorio are still in the process of healing their own injuries.

“Those are the guys that we need to rest. Those are the guys who need to rest more than everybody else. But if we’re not in a good position come playoff time, it really won’t matter whether they’re (the injured ones) healthy or not. So, we got to get things done now,” said Cone.

Meanwhile, the Bolts press their own bid, gunning for a third straight win.